Sports minister Kirsty Coventry’s stunning victory in the race for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency last week must herald new beginnings for Zimbabwean sport, which has suffered immensely from both leadership and financial deficit.
Coventry became the first woman to hold the most powerful role in world sport at the age of 41 after scoring a landslide in the hotly contested elections for the 10th IOC president.
The former Olympic swimming champion beat six other candidates in a secret ballot with 49 votes out of a possible 97.
What made her victory sweeter is that she defeated candidates with very strong CVs such as Lord Cole, who boasts of overseeing London 2012 Olympic Games and running World Athletics.
She also became the youngest and first African to be elected into the most influential position. IOC is an exclusive organisation made up of heads of state, former athletes and other influential people from business and politics.
Coventry’s elevation has been celebrated globally as it would help the IOC to project a progressive and diverse image. There are a lot of expectations for her to make the Games more attractive to the younger generation.
There are also of expectations for her to deliver at the global stage after serving as Zimbabwe’s Sports minister since 2017.
There are mixed views about her performance as a minister with some pointing at the fact that Zimbabwe’s national soccer teams have to play their “home” fixtures in other countries as the country does not have a stadium that meets Confederation of African Football standards.
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It is our considered view that using football alone to gauge her performance would be unfair.
When the celebrations are over, Zimbabwe needs to take stock of what needs to be done to help the various sports codes that may benefit from Coventry’s global positioning.
Zimbabwe is brimming with talent, but most of it goes to waste due to lack of facilities and pathways for young people despite the many opportunities that can be accessed globally.
Coventry’s success as an athlete and now as an administrator must save as an inspiration for young people growing up in Zimbabwe and aspiring to make a living from sport.
Her achievements must be celebrated, especially for a country that is always on the spotlight for the wrong reasons. It is also an opportunity to cleanse the country’s image.
